Roller-brake.



No. 708,|I4. Patntedsept. 2, |902.

v L. H. BILL.

noLLEn BRAKE.

(Application led Aug. 19. 1901.)

(No Model.)

WW l.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

LOUIS II. BILL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO DUCK BRAKE COMPANY OF NEW YORK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROLLER-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Nic. 708,114, dated September 2, 1902.

Application filed August 19l 1901. ySerial No. 72,511. (No model.)

T0 cir/ZZ whom, it 11i/ay concer-n,.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. BILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Franwill enable those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a roller-brake of the character shown by Letters Patent of the United States No. 594,234', granted November 23, 1897, to Abram-W. Duck fora bicyclebrake, and it operates on the same principle as said brake. Y

In a brake made in accordance with the patent mentioned the axes of the frictionrollers are inclined downwardly and also forwardly in the direction of forward rotation of the wheel, so that when brought into rolling contact with a forwardly-moving wheeltire the rollers are pressed along their `inclined divergent axes and into contact with fixed friction-disks operating against their outer sides. These axes are fixed or rigid in their inclinations relatively to the direction of forward movement of the wheel, and the brake is therefore adapted to check its for' ward movement only and has no practical effect whatever on a wheel revolving backward-a function complete and sufficient in a vehicle adapted to be operated in one di' rection only.

The object of my invention is to adapt a brake involving the principles j ust described to operate on a wheel revolving either forward or backward; and it consists of such a constructionas will admit of the brake-rollers mounted on compoundly-inclined axes swinging into suitable operative position for either direction of movement of a wheel, thus adapting it touse on motor or other vehicles which may require to be checked or held in either direction.

The accompanying drawings nshow my invention in the best forms now known to me; but changeswithin theskill of a good` mechanic and not requiring the exercise of invention might be made in the specific forms of the details of construction and in the relative arrangement of the parts without departing from ,the spirit of my invention as set forth in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure l is a front elevation, partly in section, of what I consider at present to be the most desirable form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, also partly in section and with the near roller and its shaft partly removed, showing also in dotted lines the forward and backward positions of the rollers in braking. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, of one modification of the invention. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section, with the near roller removed. Fig. 5 is a plan View, partly in section, of the brake-spindle and the rollershafts mounted thereon, the rollers being omitted. The full lines show the normal position of these shafts, while the dotted lines Vshow the position to which they swing when the rollers are brought into contact with the moving wheel-tire to apply the brake.

In my invention I have provided for a described brake of this character that willoperate in either direction of the movement of the tire by so arranging the axes that they may automatically swing forward-or backward and in either direction present the downward and also the forward or backward inclination necessary to the proper working of the rollers against the friction-washers.

In the drawings, particularly Figs. l and 2, the brake-rollers A A are carried by arod B, capable of endwise movement kin a guidebearing C,fixed in any suitable manner to the plates F, located at each side of thehead and connected thereto by a pivot-pin` D, passing through the hole d. These plates are furtherhunited by a pinE, lyingin -the slot e The axleroo and securely riveted to each plate. pins f are inclined downwardly in opposite directions from their plates, as shown in Fig.

l, and in their normal positions of rest have this inclination only; but when the rollers are pressed into contact with the moving tire the plates swing on their pivot-pin in the direction of the tire, so that when the rollers reach their operative positions their axles have the forward or backward as well as the downward inclination necessary to crowd them against the friction-washers. By such an arrangementI am enabled with a doubleinclined roller-brake t-o check a wheel moving in either direction.

The rollers A are preferably composed of a wooden spool g, having a rubber band or tire 71/ secured to it, and a metal bushing i to take the wear on the axle. On the outer end of the axle is screwed a friction-washerj, of metal, which bears against the outer face of the wooden spool and is held against rotation by a checlnut 7c and non rotatable washer I.

I have discovered that there is a tendency for dirt or mud carried up by the wheel-tires to gather in the front of the point of contact of the rollers with the tire and accumulate there in a very undesirable manner. To overcome this tendency, I form in the surface the rubber band 7L of the roller a series of recesses or depressions H, which while breaking the continuity ot' the band on its line of contact with the tire and affording a means for the mud to escape through the pinch, vet do not eect the rolling contact with the tire nor the eciency of the roller-brake.

In the modification of my invention shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 the construction of the rollers and their axles, the., is as before described. Instead of the swinging side plates pivoted to the attened end of the rod A the axles in this modification extend from hingeknuckles M and N, mounted on the lower end of the rod A and held in place by a nut and washer m. This construction admits of the rollers swinging around the axis of the rod A to throw them in the direction of movement of the wheel-tire and bring their axles into desired forward or backward as well as the downward angles, into which they are fixed relatively to the rod A.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a brake for elastic wheel-tires, the combination of a movable supporting member, a plurality of roller-carrying pieces pivotally connected thereto and adapted to swing forward and back of the plane of said member, shafts extending from said pieces and inclining downwardly and outwardly therefrom, rollers loosely mounted on said shafts and friction-blocks secured to the shafts at the backs of said rollers, with means for actuating the supporting member whereby the rollers may be brought into contact with a tire and swung into operative position by the movement of the tire, substantially as set forth.

2. In a brake for elastic wheel-tires, the combination of a movable supporting member, a plurality of roller-carrying pieces pivotally connected thereto and adapted to swing forward and back of the plane of their pivots, rigid shafts inclining downwardly and outwardly from said pieces and having loose rollers and fixed friction blocks thereon, means to limit the swinging movement of the carrying-pieces and means for actuating the movable supporting member whereby the rollers may be brought into contact with a tire, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS H. BILL.

Witnesses:

W. F. TowNLEY, JOHN T. BILL. 

